The Phantom Sets Sail (OLD)
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: Skiff tells the tale that Sailor John used to scare him with to Ryan and Daisy.


Dark clouds loomed over the Island of Sodor, signaling an oncoming rainstorm. They created a gloomy atmosphere as the engines went about their work. However, there was someone who didn't even seem to notice them.

"Weeee!"

Skiff had a broad grin on his face as his sails blew in the tense wind. His passengers clapped and cheered, impressed by the railboat's speed.

"Thank you all! You're too kind!" he said modestly as he sailed around a bend.

A rumble roared through the clouds, and his wheels nearly jumped off the rails.

"Goodness me! What was that?"

"Looks like bad weather," pointed out a passenger.

Skiff looked up and frowned.

"Oh dear... it does look rather gloomy." He then smiled again, reassuring himself and the passengers. "But I'm sure it'll be alright."

The sound of helicopter rotors interrupted him.

"Don't be so sure!" called a voice from above.

The railboat chuckled as he saw Harold the Helicopter hovering above him. The wind created from his rotors blew Skiff's sail about. Not wanting to blow the railboat away, Harold chuckled nervously as he rose upwards.

"Hello, Harold!" Skiff cried as he flew backward, "C-Can you fly maybe a little bit upwards, please?"

Harold chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that!"

Not wanting to blow the railboat away, Harold rose upwards. Skiff's sail stopped blowing and he sighed with relief.

"That's better," he said pleasantly as Captain Joe mopped his brow and dropped the anchor, "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"I don't see how you could think such a thing, chap," replied Harold grimly, "Can't you see the clouds in the sky?"

Skiff looked up and could see dark clouds looming in the air

"That doesn't mean it isn't a nice day!"

"As much as I admire your high spirits, it seems the weather won't match them. I just got an urgent weather forecast from the Rescue Centre, and it's clear it's going to be more severe than we first thought."

"Really?"

"I'm afraid so. It was first conceived that this was only going to be a light drizzle, but now forecasts show it'll be heavy rain."

"That doesn't sound too bad-"

"Not to mention severe winds, lightning, and thunder! A complete thunderstorm. Not that you should be giving rides out in the rain anyway..."

"That's a shame," said Skiff sadly, "The day started so nicely too."

"I know how you feel," Harold replied, "Flying in rain isn't pleasant, but it has to be done to warn the people. Speaking of which, you and your passengers better get some shelter before this weather gets any worse!"

Skiff winced as he looked back at his puzzled customers, admitting that the helicopter did have a point.

"You heard the helicopter," he said with remorse, "I'm afraid this trip is canceled due to an oncoming storm. You better get back to your homes as quickly as possible."

The passengers expressed their disappointment but quickly walked away.

"Come back again when the weather is nicer!" Skiff called to them.

He was about to head back to his resting spot when he gasped.

"What's the matter, chap?" Harold asked worriedly.

"The spot I'm always taken to every night by Captain Joe doesn't have a roof! How am I supposed to be protected from the storm?"

"The sheds for the Harwick Branch Line have an extra berth. I'm sure Ryan and Daisy will let you stay there for the night."

Skiff's face lit up.

"Good thinking, Harold! You are clever!"

Harold smirked as Skiff began rolling along the track, being propelled by a pedal.

"Having a bird's eye view has its advantages, chap!" he called innocently as he buzzed away.

Skiff shuddered as a rumble came from the sky and rain began to pour down.

"Harold was right... At least I'm not in the water right now, though."

* * *

At Arlesburgh Yard Sheds, Daisy and Ryan were in their snug berths as the rain began to fall. Immediately the effects of the storm could be observed as a tree outside the shed blew in the wind.

"This is the biggest storm I've seen since I've arrived," Ryan said worriedly and he looked up. "I hope the shed roof isn't damaged. I'd hate for it to have a leak."

Daisy rolled her eyes dismissively.

"I suppose you and this storm have something in common then. I wish for both of you to stop making so much noise."

Ryan sighed glumly as torrents of rain slammed against the roof.

"I can't say I disagree."

"Then why you don't shut up then?"

"I was talking about the storm..."

"Well, isn't that a shame...!"

A knock on the door startled them both.

"Um, excuse me! Out here! Can Captain Joe and I come in please?" came a voice outside the shed.

Daisy raised an eyebrow as her driver went out to unlock the shed door. The doors flew open and the wind flew into the shed. It blew Skiff into the buffers and his anchor was dropped. Captain Joe ran to close the door again. The railboat was soaked, water dripping to the ground. Skiff smiled sheepishly as Ryan and Daisy exchanged a look.

"Heh heh, I'm sorry about this. I got caught out in the storm and Harold told me to take shelter. I hope you'll excuse my intrusion."

Daisy scoffed.

"Your company's better than Ryan's. All he's been doing is whining about this weather..."

"I'm not whining!" Ryan replied defensively, "I'm just... worried is all."

"Same thing. You're scared the wind will tear you apart... It's just as irritating as my makeup running..."

Skiff chuckled and glanced at Ryan.

"She's in a mood, isn't she?"

"She's _always_ in a mood," Ryan replied with a small smirk.

Daisy, offended, looked away.

"What are you doing here, Skiff?" Ryan continued, attempting to change the subject, "Don't you have a shed to rest for the night?"

Skiff sighed sadly.

"Unfortunately, no. It's possible I may get one in the future, but for now, all I have is a siding."

"That's a shame," said Ryan sympathetically, "but you're safe with us."

"About as safe as Ryan feels when he's out in the rain," Daisy said smugly.

Ryan glared at her.

"You know, you could stand to be a little more compassionate. You have been before."

Daisy smirked.

"I know, but I don't feel like it right now."

Skiff frowned, but said nothing. A thunderclap interrupted the two and both of them jumped.

"Were you scared, Daisy?" Skiff asked avidly.

Her brief look of fear morphed into one of smugness.

"Me? Scared? Of course not! Simply... startled, is all. Only _Ryan_ gets scared."

Ryan looked helplessly at Skiff and sighed. Skiff felt sorry for Ryan and got an idea.

"Well, let's see if that's true. You know what's wonderful for weather like this?"

"W-what?" Ryan inquired, not sure if he wanted to know.

"A story!"

Daisy sighed with exasperation.

"Well, neither Ryan or I have any good ones, so..."

"There was that time I stopped the pirate ship!" Ryan suggested excitedly, "Thomas said I was very brave!"

"Thomas says that to everyone... except me. For some reason, he made it clear he wasn't too fond of me..."

Ryan snickered as Skiff cleared his throat.

"Actually, my story does have pirates in it," Skiff commented.

Daisy stopped her complaining and glanced curiously at the railboat.

"Oh, really?"

Skiff smiled sheepishly.

"Meaning it was told by one, I mean. When Sailor John and I were sailing the seven seas, he often told me stories. Now that I know he was a bad man, I think he told them just to scare me or to keep me in order. One, in particular, remains in my memory. The story of..."

Skiff paused, trying to achieve an atmosphere.

"...The Phantom Sailor."

Another thunderclap boomed and lightning flashed outside the shed window.

"Nice timing," interjected Daisy.

"T-The phantom sailor?" Ryan gulped, immediately not liking the sound of such a thing.

"Oh, yes. I remember it just the way he told me! He said that once, a ship got caught in a bad hurricane, and it got swept by the waves. They tried to get home, but it was no use... The ship sank."

Ryan gasped in horror.

"People tried looking for the wreckage, but nobody could ever find it. Many a sailor will tell you that today, the sailors still roam, trying to find a way to make it to shore. But they never make it, and fall into the sea. One, in particular, can be described as malicious, seeking vengeance."

"Why?" Daisy asked, getting a little tense.

"I don't know how ghosts work," Skiff replied nonchalantly.

"I-Is this true?" Ryan asked, glancing intently out the shed window fearfully. The tree branches scraped against the wall, and the sound only added to the creepiness.

"Sailor John always told me it was, but his trustworthiness is questionable, so I can't say for sure."

Ryan's wheels trembled and his teeth chattered. Daisy was a little anxious herself but hid it well.

"How am I supposed to rest, knowing there's some sort of ghost sailor around, trying to seek _vengeance?!_ "

"Oh, Ryan, how naive you are. He flat out said it was fake, and yet you're still scared!" she chuckled mischievously.

Ryan made an effort to glower at her, but he didn't look too convincing. Daisy chuckled as she closed her eyes for sleep.

"You should try to act better, like moi. I can see right through you, you know. Now if you excuse me, I need my beauty rest."

Ryan blushed, embarrassed, as he too attempted to sleep. However, all that crossed his mind was The Phantom Sailor, and what he could possibly be like.

* * *

Fog covered the shoreline as Ryan slowly puffed along the line.

"H-hello?" he stuttered, glancing in all directions; the coast seemed oddly abandoned.

Even the lighthouse that towered over the cliffs wasn't on. The tank engine cringed as he rounded a bend.

"Why's it so quiet?"

Suddenly, a loud and piercing laugh cut off Ryan's worry. He gasped as footsteps crunched the ballast. Behind a sign stepped a ghostly figure, with a long beard and a pirate hat. Ryan's face turned pale as the sailor walked closer.

"Argh, how about ye walk the plank, eh? Just you and me, on a grand adventure! We can go down with me ship and stay there..." His pupils disappeared and he seemed to become even more lifeless than before. "... **forever**."

"No! Y-Y-You can't! I'm a steam engine! I can't go in water!" Ryan protested, trying to reverse.

However, his wheels came to a halt, as if some sort of paranormal force was keeping him in place. He looked back in surprise and dread.

"W-W-WWhy can't I move?!"

Ryan looked back and his eyes widened as another cackle met his ears.

"Stay away from me! I'm warning you! It's a big engine against a small man!" he cried in an attempt to defend himself.

The sailor stepped ever closer, a look of malice on his face.

"Oh, but don't you know? I'm a ghost... You can't hurt me... But I can hurt **you**."

Ryan desperately tried to push against whatever force kept him in place as the ghost reached into his pocket for a stick of dynamite.

"Please! Noooooo!"

* * *

Ryan cried out in fear as his eyes fluttered open to the new day. Daisy glared at him furiously, having been woken up by his cry.

"That's a lovely way to welcome a new day...! An engine screaming in my nonexistent ears!"

Ryan's face reddened in humiliation as Skiff yawned.

"I must admit, it was quite surprising! Did you have a nightmare, Ryan?" the railboat quizzed.

"Y-yes... It was of that story you told us about last night, Skiff... I'm terribly sorry I woke you two up, though," the purple tank engine spoke sincerely.

"It's not a problem for me. I like watching the sunrise," said Skiff pleasantly.

"Well, I don't. It's far too early for my swerves..." Daisy complained.

Ryan was about to retort when footsteps could be heard outside the slammed his eyes shut, thinking it was The Phantom Sailor.

"Ah, Daisy! I have a job for you!"

Ryan opened an eye to find that it was the stationmaster. Daisy sighed as expected.

"Yes, sir...?"

"Since you're up so early, I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking a load of workmen to Harwick?"

"Do I have a choice in the matter?"

"Not really."

Daisy heaved a sigh.

"...fine.."

"And Ryan?"

Ryan jumped at the mention of his name.

"Y-yes, sir?" he stuttered.

The stationmaster was a little puzzled at his stuttering but said nothing of it.

"There's a shipment of supplies at Arlesburgh that needs to be taken back here."

"O-of course, sir," said Ryan as the stationmaster walked away.

Daisy scowled as she began pulling out of the shed. Skiff raised an eyebrow as she left.

"I wonder what she's so cross about...?"

"She's cross about everything. Goods trains, early mornings, you name it," Ryan retorted bitterly, "She takes out on it me a lot of the time. I just wish she'd stop it. It gets tiring to deal with."

He sighed as his fire flared in preparation for the day's work.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, Skiff... With both her and the Phantom Sailor, my mind's been overwhelmed lately."

"I understand," Skiff smiled, "Have a nice day, Ryan!"

"You too," the purple engine called as he steamed out of his berth.

Skiff frowned as he watched him puff out of sight.

"Oh dear..."

* * *

The storm had stopped by now, but the clouds still remained, retaining its gloomy feeling, and there was a gentle wind. The harbour was covered in a light fog as Donald and Douglas braked to a halt with a goods train.

"Morning, Donald and Douglas..." muttered in an all too familiar voice.

Donald groaned.

"Och na... Tis Daisy, 'n' she seems tae be crabbit..."

"Whin isnae she?" quipped Douglas.

The twins chuckled heartily until a short but noticeable growl became audible. Douglas glanced at Daisy and saw her scowling angrily at them.

"He said it, lassie, nae me," he cried hastily.

"Och that's nice, pat th' blame oan me, eh?" Donald scoffed.

Daisy blew her horn again and the twins stopped arguing at once.

"Shut up, both of you! It's bad enough having Ryan whine about his 'terrifying nightmares', and I don't need you two to make it worse."

Both twins looked curiously at the railcar.

"Whit did Ryan dae?" asked Douglas.

Daisy scoffed as she recalled the events of the previous night.

"It was humorous at first. Ryan got scared after Skiff told us a story last night. Something about a ghost of a baker or something. It wasn't original enough for my taste. But then he cried about it all night."

"Och? Whit else?" quizzed Donald.

"Stop asking questions. Running a branch line with him gets so irritating after a while. The only good thing is I can usually get what I want out of him, but I pay my own price it seems. This happens so often I can't even get entertainment out of it anymore. Not to mention it bothers my swerves."

"How does an emotion fash yer swerves?" Douglas asked suspiciously.

Donald snickered at Daisy's pained expression.

"I have sensitive swerves," she huffed defensively, "My fitter says so."

"In any case, that soonds ower amusing," Donald grinned, "The wee engine wid git scared ower a mouse...!"

"I would've said a tree, but that works too. He actually was scared of one that was scraping our shed during the storm."

"Urr ye serious? Whit a silly wee engine..."

Ryan was puffing into the harbour when he heard what Donald was saying. He gasped and red flowed to his cheeks again.

"Oh no... Daisy must've told them what happened! Oh, no, no, no... This is so embarrassing..."

The tank engine looked back, wondering whether it would be a good idea to turn back until Daisy and the twins were gone. He eventually relented, deciding his delivery's schedule was more important. Ryan winced as he slowly puffed alongside Daisy. Daisy scoffed as she observed Ryan's defeated manner.

"Well, well, well, look how decided to show up. At least you're on time..."

"How would you know what my schedule is?" Ryan snapped.

Before Daisy could create a snarky reply, both engines heard chuckles from the Scottish twins.

"Ye better be careful oot thare, lad!" said Donald teasingly.

"Why..." Ryan huffed, already knowing the answer.

"Th' phantom sailor may git ye!"

"Aye, ye never know when that ghost wull pounce," chortled Douglas.

The twins continued as Ryan glared at Daisy.

"What did you tell them?" he whispered hoarsely, his cheeks growing even redder.

"I told them all about last night, of course."

"You can't just spread sensitive information like that, Daisy!"

"Sensitive? You're the one who's sensitive! What kind of engine is scared of a sailor?!"

"You were scared too!"

"Was I? I can't remember. Oh right, _you_ were the one who woke up screaming after your 'nightmare' and woke me up!"

Donald and Douglas exploded into laughter at this.

"That happened?!" Donald said.

"Yes, sadly. You should've seen the look on his face when his eyes opened!"

The twins' amusement died down as they began to leave.

"Cheerio, Daisy! We needed that!" said Douglas as the twins rounded a bend that led out of the harbour.

Daisy blew her horn and also started to leave.

"Heheh... Phantom sailor..." she chuckled under her breath.

Ryan groaned.

"Now I'm going to be a laughing stock..."

"Why did Daisy do that?"

Ryan jumped and fearfully looked around in paranoia.

"It's only me, Ryan!"

He looked over and sighed sadly as he realized it was Skiff, who had seen everything.

"Oh... Hi, Skiff."

"Hello!" The railboat frowned. "You didn't answer my question, though."

"Daisy's always like that," Ryan replied, "She complains all the time, and she moans for her fitter when she doesn't want to do a specific job, so _I_ have to do it! I don't think she likes me very much either, or if she does, she hides it very well. You saw how she treated me last night."

"Yes, I did," Skiff said gravely, "I thought she might've just been teasing."

"I thought that too, at first, until I met up with Thomas at Tidmouth once and he explained her attitude on his branch line. Now I see what he means..." Ryan sighed. "I just wish there was something I can do to pay her back. She's gotten me so many times it only seems fair."

"I don't think paying her back would achieve much," the railboat replied.

"You may be right," Ryan admitted, "but still, she's such a burden at times. She may mean well, as I've seen her be kind to other engines, but I can't imagine what makes me different."

Skiff was confident that he knew the reason, but he didn't feel right telling it to Ryan. Ryan whistled as he began to leave for Harwick again.

"Goodbye," he said quietly as he left.

Skiff winced.

"Poor Ryan... Hmm..."

* * *

Later on, Daisy had returned to the harbour to collect passengers from The Little Western. She was waiting for Duck when Skiff blew alongside her. The railcar had little reaction as the wind stopped and Skiff remained in place.

"Um, pardon me, but... why are you so unkind to Ryan?" he asked.

Daisy sniffed.

"He gets scared over the littlest things. It drives me mad!"

"That's no reason to make fun of him for it," Skiff replied firmly, "You should apologize."

"Me? For what? Embarrassing Ryan? Oh please, I've been embarrassed quite a few times and I'm still in one piece."

The wind picked up again and Skiff flew again, shouting with surprise. Daisy snickered.

"Bye, bye!" she sang as the railboat flew around a bend.

Skiff groaned.

"That didn't work like I thought it would... I really didn't want to do this, but I may have to execute my original idea... I'm not the biggest fan of it, but it might work."

* * *

Stephen puffed towards Ulfstead Castle after finishing a tour of the Dinosaur Park.

"What fascinating dinosaurs, eh?" he chuckled.

His passengers chattered excitedly about what they had seen as Stephen pulled inside the castle. The old engine was about to engage in their conversation when he noticed the Earl tapping his pen on a clipboard.

"What are you doing, sir?" he asked.

Sir Robert Norramby whirled around and grinned.

"Ah, Stephen, you're just in time for my news!"

"You're not going to expand your estate again, are you...?" Stephen murmured, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Well, yes, but that's not the subject of my news."

"Wait, wha-"

"t was invited by the town of Harwick to their Halloween festival! Now that the Harwick Branch Line is built, they're going to let me help plan it out! It takes place annually to send off the summer season, you see."

"But sir, don't you have the Halloween party here at the castle?" Stephen inquired worriedly, "I'd hate to let our tourists down by canceling it."

"Don't worry, Stephen. We'll still have our own party. The Harwick festival will be in the evening, and our party will be later at night."

"If you think you can handle it, sir."

"Of course I can, Stephen."

He looked up at the clock and gasped.

"Oh dear! I better hurry if I'm going to get to the meeting in a couple hour's time! After all, with great power comes great responsibility."

The Earl began walking to his yellow car.

"Sir, you don't exactly have great power," Stephen called.

"I can pretend!" the Earl shouted back as he climbed into the car.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the harbour, Skiff was back to giving his own tours.

"Welcome back, everyone!" he said gleefully as all of his customers climbed aboard, "Sorry for the inconvenience yesterday."

"It's alright, Skiff," said a woman, "Riding with you is always worth the wait."

Skiff beamed as his anchor was lifted.

However, his face clouded as he thought of his idea to help Ryan.

"Hmm... Now that I know I'm doing it, I'm going to need someone to play the role... I wonder who'll be convincing enough and still agree to it..." he said aloud.

Just then, he heard the sound of a braking car.

Glancing over to a nearby parking lot, he saw a bearded man climbing out of a yellow car. Squinting, he could see that the man was rather thin. He looked old as well but still seemed to have a spring to his step, which would help make him a good actor. Skiff gasped as he realized he was walking towards a seaside restaurant to have a snack before the meeting, and he didn't have much time to signal to him.

"Excuse me, sir?" the railboat called as the wind died down.

The Earl turned around and gasped in amazement.

"Oh my goodness! A boat on wheels! I'm surprised I haven't thought of this myself!"

Skiff chuckled nervously as the Earl ran up to him.

"Yes, I am. The Fat Controller arranged-"

The Earl crouched to peek at Skiff's chassis.

"Fascinating. A fine piece of work."

"Um... sir-"

"I wish I had something like this for my estate, but I doubt it'd be worth the cost as my estate isn't near any lakes... Unless..."

He put a hand to his chin in thought.

"...I build my own..."

"Sir?"

The Earl was snapped out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Yes, er...?"

"Skiff," he said helpfully, "Do you have anything to do with the Halloween festival at Harwick? Judging by your suit, you do seem to be important."

Sir Robert grinned.

"Ah, indeed! In fact, I'm off to have a meeting in-" He looked at his watch and suddenly gasped. "Oh no! I must make haste, dear Skiff, or else I may be late!"

He was about to turn on his heel when Skiff called out, "But this is important!"

"Alright, but make sure it's quick. I wouldn't want to look unprofessional, you know."

"Well, sir..."

Skiff quickly explained his idea. The Earl frowned when it was completed.

"I'm not sure if I like that. I understand why you'd want to do it, but... it seems to have ill intent. I had to deal with that once when my engine Millie scared poor Samson and Harvey with a fake volcano. Two wrongs don't make a right, you know."

"I know, I thought of that as well," Skiff replied wistfully, "but... I want to help, and this may be a solution to it. Besides, you could use it to cleverly advertise the festival."

Sir Robert's lips curled into a smile.

"In that case, I suppose it would be rather fun, and it would give me a chance to practice my pirate impression for the festival."

"That's the spirit!" cried Skiff, and the wind began blowing again. His sails blew in the wind as the railboat rolled away.

"Bye, sir! I'll see you at the festival!" he called.

"See you too, Skiff!" said the Earl, and he smirked to himself as he began walking away. "I better practice..."

* * *

The sun flared for most of the day until at last, the blue sky morphed into one of red and orange. Daisy yawned as she began to leave Arlesburgh Harbour, not noticing a certain railboat watching her.

"Let's hope this works..." he said under his breath, "I hope it isn't too extreme..."

"Ugh, and everyone's so excited for that blasted Halloween festival... Huh! As if I'd want to go... Why would I?" Daisy muttered to herself as she started to roll along the coast.

Fog often formed here, and as one would expect, it was thick by the cliff. Daisy rolled her eyes as she plunged into it.

"Well, at least it's not raining... My makeup will stay intact... I hope."

"Hello..." echoed a voice that didn't sound too friendly.

Daisy braked, looking around the area; nobody was nearby.

"Probably some lost tourist wandering around... It's nothing to be concerned about, surely..."

However, she didn't feel as brave as she sounded as her engine roared to life again. The railcar continued her journey through the dense fog, though she quickly became jittery. She hadn't gone very far when the voice spoke again.

"Argh, it's time to walk the plank!"

Daisy's brakes slipped on again, and the passengers jolted in their seats.

"What's going on?" one demanded, "We have a specific timetable to keep to, you know."

Daisy didn't reply; her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she could see a metal hook slice through the fog.

"A-a-a pirate's h-hook? N-no... It's just a costume... It's just..."

The diesel broke off as she quickly realized how foolish it would be for an individual to roam the coast in the fog with a Halloween costume on.

"No, no, no... My vision and hearing are acting up... It can't be real! It simply can't be!"

"Oh, but it can, _matey_!"

Daisy shrieked as the voice seemed closer than before.

"No! Don't you come any closer!" she spluttered as the figure stepped across the ballast.

The figure smirked, though the railcar could only barely see it. Even the passengers were scared now, and they huddled together in fright.

"Oh, what's the matter? Are you afraid of an old phantom sailor?"

Daisy gasped and rumbled away with a start, jolting her passengers again. They didn't mind this time, as they too wanted to get away from whatever wraith they were seeing.

"Hellllp! I'm no longer safe here!" she wailed as she roared through the fog, "I have to move somewhere far, far away so that _thing_ can't get to me!"

The figure chuckled to himself but then abruptly coughed.

"Note to self: That voice hurts your throat if you do it for too long..."

* * *

Daisy's screams pierced the evening as she scurried towards Harwick as quickly as her wheels could whir. She slammed her eyes shut as she approached the station. Ryan was already there, having decided to watch the festivities from the rails. He gasped as a pale Daisy pulled into the platform.

"Oh goodness, gracious! Daisy! What's the matter?"

"You didn't see it?!"

Ryan was starting to get scared; Daisy was known to be a drama queen, but this seemed more serious than that.

"S-see what?"

"That... horrid abomination!"

Ryan winced at the loudness of her voice.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"That ghost I saw down the line! He had an evil pirate voice and a terrible laugh!" Daisy wailed, "Oh, the horror! I'm traumatized forever! I won't be able to do any work for years!"

"I-Is it really that awful?"

"Of course it is, you imbecile! Skiff's story was true! It was true all along! It was The Phantom Sailor!"

"But I thought you weren't a scaredy engine, Daisy...!"

Ryan and Daisy looked over to find a grinning Skiff sailing into the station. Riding on him was Captain Joe, chuckling, and a grinning Sir Robert Norramby. Daisy's face flushed as it gained its color again.

"Well, erm..."

Skiff quickly looked at Ryan and winked. Ryan was confused at first, but saw the Earl and realized what must have happened. Seeing there was nothing to fear, he broke into a smirk.

"Yes, Daisy... Weren't _you_ the one consistently teasing _me_ about being scared? Even I don't scream along the line!"

"S-s-shut up..." Daisy muttered, "You didn't see what I did... It was horrible!"

"Ah, but you still got scared, so you can't say that you don't."

Daisy just looked away. The Earl hopped off of Skiff and held a thumb up to him. Skiff smiled as Sir Robert held up a pirate hat to the concerned passengers.

"Argh, hello mateys! Come one, come all, to the Harwick Halloween Festival! Everyone is welcome! We'll have lots of fun together, I'm sure! Fun for the whole family!"

Daisy's attention was diverted to the Earl and she swiftly recognized his features and the voice which seemed familiar.

"The... the... ghost..."

Everything clicked at once and Daisy gritted her teeth furiously at Skiff. The railboat gulped and chuckled sheepishly.

"Um, heh heh... Sorry?"

"Don't do it," Ryan put in nervously, interrupting Daisy's burst of anger, "He was only trying to prove a point, which did succeed you know."

Skiff sighed with relief and smiled gratefully at scowled and began to back away from the station.

"I don't need this... I'm off to the shed, where-"

An owl hooted from a nearby tree, and the railcar immediately braked.

"W-what was that?!"

Ryan and Skiff glanced at Daisy's fearful expression and they and the Earl started to laugh.

The diesel glared at the both of them and stewed in embarrassment for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Ever since that day, Daisy's been a lot more careful about mocking Ryan getting easily scared, because whenever she gets out of line, she's always reminded of the time she thought she was scared of a phantom sailor.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Yeah, part of the reason _Railway Show Engines_ is on a hiatus is because of my two Halloween stories being produced. Yes, two. This is the first, and the second one will come out on Halloween. Writing this was pretty fun; I think I'm getting the hang of the Harwick crew and their dynamics. This is also my first main role starring Skiff.


End file.
